I Don't Do Sadness // Jyrus

bummer

Once everyone had filed out and started to go home, Andi and her family stayed back to help clean up. Andi stayed with Cyrus and they laughed as they went around collecting trash from off of tables. Bowie went around and got plates for the catering and Ham helped Cyrus' father and step-father take down decorations. His step-mother was carrying stuff out to the car, Cece and Bex were collecting trash from outside and Cyrus' mother was going around the ballroom, doing the things that only mothers could think of doing.

After most of the decorations were down, Ham checked his watch, yelling to Andi, "It's getting late, Schmoo, we should get going."

Bowie walked over to her and told her, "Yeah, why don't we go out to the car."

They all said their goodbyes, Cyrus getting hugs and handshakes. Once the family walked outside, they called to Bex and Cece that they were leaving, so Bex went back inside with the trash bag. Cyrus was standing at a table, cleaning the trash off of it and putting it into a bag. His mother came over to him and pushed his shoulder to turn him to face her. 

"What the hell was that?" She hissed under her breath.

"What?" He asked her, taking a step back.

She grabbed his arm to stop him and said, "Don't you 'What?' me. What do you think you were doing up there? Saying you're gay?"

"Mom, I-" She gripped his arm more and pulled him closer to her. 

"I'm not done talking," she hissed. She started to raise her voice for everyone in the room to hear her say, "Do you have any idea how stupid that was? After all we've done for you, and for this party, this is how you repay us?" 

His father came over and placed his hand on her arm and said, "Leslie," at a warning tone.

She let go of Cyrus and turned to his father. "So you don't think that he's being an idiot?" She yelled in his face. "Your son's the one saying that he's gay, in front of my parents."

Cyrus cut in and said louder, "Mom-" when she cut him off with a slap across his face.

She yelled, "Shut up," to him. 

The sound of her hand across his skin and her voice echoing throughout the room made everything silent. Cyrus' face stung and he stayed in the fixed position that his head landed in, staring at his feet. He was used to the stinging pain in his face, but this time it felt different. His mother turned and walked away, saying to his father, "Take him home."

Cyrus looked up a little bit and saw her walk away from him through the tears in his eyes. His father said to her, "Isn't it your night with him?"

She stopped in her tracks, turning to him and yelling, "I don't want him!"

Cyrus felt his step-mother come up from behind, wrapping her arms around him. He sobbed silently into her and his father grabbed his keys and lead them out of the ballroom. As they left, Cyrus could hear his step-father telling his mother, "It's okay, he needed that."

Bex had been standing in the doorway of the ballroom with a trash bag in her hand, for she had come inside to ask where to put it, but instead witnessed Cyrus and his mother. Once she saw his family coming towards the door, she dropped the bag and ran quickly to the car. 

She was silent throughout the ride home, not knowing what to do. When Cece and Ham dropped her and Andi off at their apartment, Andi went off to get ready for bed and Bex just sat in the front room, worrying her mind and rubbing her hands together. A few minutes had passed when she heard Andi come into the kitchen and Bex could hear her opening cupboards and making something to eat.

Bex stood in the doorway and watched as Andi got out a jar of jelly from the fridge. Andi sensed her behind her and turned to Bex, saying, "Hey."

Bex greeted her back and they stood in silence for a moment while they both just watched a sandwich get made. Andi broke the silence and asked Bex, "Did you need something?"

Bex walked to beside her at the counter and responded. "I just had a question."

Andi nodded in response and continued making her sandwich. "Um," Bex started, staring at her hands massaging each other. "Do you know if Cyrus has ever been, like-abused or something?"

Andi continued making her sandwich and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Like, has his parents ever hit him?"

Andi continued making her sandwich and said, "Yeah," like it was the easiest thing in the world. "In gym class, you could see bruises on his arms and legs and from his mom. Why?"

"Well," Bex said, shifting her weight. "I sort of saw his mom slap him after the party."

Andi dropped her peanut-covered knife in her hand. "What?" She asked, turning to Bex.

"Well, his mom was yelling at him and saying he was an idiot and like embarrassed her and when he tried to say something, she slapped him."

"You're kidding me," Andi said, her dropped expression still resting on her face. 

Bex shook her head as Andi's hands rose to her head, resting her head in them and she started pacing around. She was mumbling, thinking out loud and asking herself what to do. Bex reached out to her in an attempt to calm her, and asked, "Why would he get hit before?"

Andi was taking deep breaths and said, "It'd be if he got a bad grade or didn't do something she asked," in between them.

Bex sighed as she leaned against the counter. She asked Andi, "Well, they're psychiatrists, right? Shouldn't they be accepting and open with him?"

Andi shrugged. "I guess not. Cyrus has told us before that they like want him to be perfect or something and it puts a lot of pressure on him."

They sat in silence for a few moments, thinking everything over. Andi's heart rate increased and her breathing got quicker before she asked, "Should I ask him about it?"

Bex just shrugged and said, "I don't know."

Then, there was a knock at the door.